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Peaceful Dave's avatar

Slightly tangential. Years ago, my melanated wife who could tolerate the sun laughed when I got a sunburn and "peeled like a snake." A strange thing to her. Now, with age and less collagen in her skin (thinning skin comes with age) she wears long sleeves and a brimmed hat in the Arizona sun. She can burn now. Has little to do with adaptive racial traits except that they give tendencies rather than gold plated imperviousness.

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Grow Some Labia's avatar

Yeah, i think the moral of the story is we're all dumbasses when we're young and immortal :) Actually, *everyone* is encouraged to use sunscreen now, regardless of how dark your skin is, because *everyone* is susceptible to the effects of the sun: https://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=157004#:~:text=Health%20experts%20advise%20everyone%2C%20regardless,spots%20and%20wrinkles%E2%80%94and%20cancer%20.

About ten years ago I went to the Pride Parade with a very black-skinned friend and I offered him some of my sunscreen, which he refused. And I said, "Doctors think *everyone* should be wearing it now, even black people, even really black black people, they're not 100% impervious to skin cancer either." He refused. It was a bright, hot day that day. I do wish they'd come up with sunscreen that doesn't make you feel dirty while it's on.

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